FAQ

If you rank in the top 75 percent of your high school graduating class, and your class rank and test scores place you near the assured admission requirements, you may be eligible for our holistic review process. Spaces fill quickly and applications will be reviewed in the order they are received.

For admission, a high school class rank is required.

If your high school does not rank, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will assign you a class rank based on an individual review of your academic credentials. This review will take into account curriculum and grades, as well as other factors. You are encouraged to send us your high school's profile, as well.

In accordance with Senate Bill 1543 (SB1543), applicants for admission who present evidence of completion of a nontraditional secondary education without an official class rank will have a class rank assigned by Texas State. The class rank will be comparable to the average class rank of other applicants who have equivalent ACT or SAT scores. A nontraditional secondary education includes Homeschool and GED graduates. Texas State requires an official homeschool or GED transcript to demonstrate evidence of completion.

Keep in mind that assigning you a rank may make your admission process take a while longer.

For more information regarding the admission process for applicants from non-ranking schools or other educational programs, contact your freshman Admission Counselor.

If you are a graduate of a non-accredited high school, your application will be reviewed on an individual basis by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. This review will take into account your full academic record, including ACT/SAT scores, curriculum and grades, admission essay, service to the school/community and class rank.

A transfer student is someone who has completed credit hours after he or she has graduated from high school. If you are in high school and have dual credit hours, you will need to meet freshman admission standards and have a 2.0 GPA in transferable coursework.

No. While you can bring in credit hours from AP, IB or CLEP for your degree, these tests will not count for admission purposes.

Please send all admission materials to:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admissions Center
429 N. Guadalupe Street
San Marcos, TX 78666

Phone: 512.245.2364

Fax: 512.245.9020.

Email: admissions@txstate.edu.

Visit our Undergraduate Degree List for an alphabetical listing of our majors.

Visit the campus tours page to schedule a campus tour or go to the Events page  to learn more about special visit days for prospective students and their families. To schedule an appointment with an admissions counselor, call 512.245.2340.

Visit our Freshmen Admissions Requirements page to learn more about our Assured Admission criteria and our holistic review process.

Applications should be completed by the Admission Priority Dates posted for each term.

Texas State does not require a Letter of Recommendation. However, if you choose to submit one, please make sure it includes the applicant's full legal name, date of birth and home address.

Texas State does not prefer one test over another and will accept either for admission purposes. Test sub-scores are not combined. The score which is the best from one sitting will be used to determine admission eligibility. Please note the old SAT (taken before March 2016) score taken into consideration in our initial review is the sum of the Critical Reading and Math sections only. An ACT/SAT Writing section score is recommended but not required for admissions consideration.

Submitting an application essay is recommended but not required. If you choose to submit an essay, you may select from Topics A, B or C of the ApplyTexas application. Essay topics can be viewed on the admission essay page as well as on page nine of the ApplyTexas application.

Texas State is committed to providing fee waivers to students with demonstrated need. To qualify for an application fee waiver, you must be a United States citizen, permanent resident or a student identified under Senate Bill 1528 and demonstrate that paying the application fee causes a serious financial hardship. Our Fee Waiver page has more information on how to apply for a fee waiver.

Our national and assured (e.g. National Merit, President's Honors and Achievement) scholarships are automatically awarded during the admission process for those with certain awards, test scores or other criteria. To apply for competitive scholarships, please fill out the Texas State Scholarship Application as well as essay topic A found in the ApplyTexas application. The deadline for scholarship applications is December 15th of your senior year. More information is available by visiting the freshman scholarship website.

To check the status of your application, visit the Applicant Status Check.

We do not require admitted students to formally accept our offer of admission to Texas State. You confirm that you intend to enroll for the term you are admitted by signing up for New Student Orientation (NSO), completing your housing contract and submitting your housing prepayment. Additional information is available on the Next Steps page of our website.

Yes. All new students are required to attend New Student Orientation (NSO). Find out more information by visiting the NSO page or calling 512.245.3655.

If you have been denied, we recommend taking immediate action to raise your academic profile. While it can be extremely difficult to improve your class rank in the senior year (especially if it's the spring semester), it is possible to raise your test scores in the hopes of improving your chances. The other option is to re-apply as a transfer student after you have completed 30 hours of college-level credit and earned a cumulative GPA of 2.25.

Yes. If you'd like to appeal our decision, you (the student) must submit a formal letter of appeal to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. In addition to the letter of appeal, you must also submit any appropriate documentation intended to support your appeal (e.g. new test score report or new school transcript). For an appeal to be effective, it must bring to light new academic information, as well as information regarding extenuating circumstances that were not included in the application. The Admission Appeal Committee will notify you of their decision by mail three to six weeks after they have received your appeal letter.

Send all appeal documents to Texas State University, The Office of Undergraduate Admissions, 429 N Guadalupe St., San Marcos, TX 78666 or email us at processing@txstate.edu, subject line Appeal Request.

If you have submitted an application or been admitted but not yet enrolled in classes, you may make changes or corrections to your personal information by submitting a completed Personal Information Update Request form to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

For the purpose of applying for admission, an international student is defined as one who is seeking, or currently holds, an F-1 or J-1 visa. (ALL other non-citizens should fill out the ApplyTexas U.S. Freshman or Transfer application. Please refer to the Freshman and Transfer admission pages and disregard ApplyTexas instructions that state the U.S. application is only for citizens and permanent residents - it is not.)

Please visit the Estimate Cost of Attendance page on the International Office website.

If you need to be awarded a competitive scholarship to meet your financial requirements for an I-20, you should apply for admission at least one month prior to the scholarship deadlines of December 15 for fall freshmen, and March 1 for fall transfers and all summer applications. This is because you must already be admitted by the stated deadline to be eligible for a scholarship.

NOTE: There are NO competitive scholarships available for spring applicants. For students applying for the spring semester, there are Assured and Departmental scholarships available.

Receipt of a Texas State Competitive Scholarship of $1,000 or more can reduce your tuition cost by allowing you to pay the in-state resident tuition rate. (It is important to know that a waiver does not grant in-state residency. If it expires, or is lost, the tuition bill will increase to the full non-resident amount.)

Learn more about other non-competitive, non-waiver eligible scholarships and grants available only to international students. The Tuition Assistance for Mexican Students (TAMS) application is available to F1 Visa students from Mexico. Learn more about application, deadlines and additional information.

Freshman applicants who are, or will be, graduates of foreign secondary schools must demonstrate above average academic achievement. Above average academic achievement is demonstrated by means of class rank (i.e. being ranked by your school in the top half of the class) or have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0. Applications must also have an education equivalent to that of a U.S. high school graduate. Freshmen who are, or will be, graduates of a U.S. high school and who have completed at least two years in a U.S. high school must meet the freshman admission requirements established for U.S. citizens.

Transfer applicants, regardless of whether they attended college at a foreign institution or in the U.S., must meet regular transfer admission requirements.

Some programs at Texas State require that students complete additional requirements, on top of what is needed to earn general admission to the University. These program entry requirements could include having a higher GPA, taking certain courses or participating in an audition process. Admission to Texas State does not guarantee acceptance into these programs.

No. Your application fee pays for the evaluation, so you must apply for admission and pay the fee in order to have your transcript evaluated.

You are not required to submit an ACT/SAT score unless you have attended at least 2 years of high school in the U.S. An ACT/SAT score is required for scholarship consideration, however (Freshman Assured, etc.).

Yes. All applicants must meet the English Language Proficiency Requirements to help ensure success as a student. If you cannot meet the proficiency standard for regular or conditional admission, you may be interested in applying to the Texas State Intensive English (TSIE) program. For information about TSIE, including a link to its application, please visit the Texas State Intensive English program website.

To determine if you are exempt from taking a language test, please look at the English Language Proficiency Requirements to find a list of exempt countries and territories.

Completion of only O-levels/GCSE/IGCSE is not sufficient for university admission or enrollment. Students may apply while still enrolled in Sixth Form/A-Levels, but to enroll they must either complete A-levels, or BTECs that would also be acceptable by a university in the United Kingdom in lieu of A-levels. (The student must provide proof of the BTEC acceptability.)

Yes. For those students who have applied for regular admission and are otherwise academically qualified for admission, we will offer Conditional Admission to those who do not meet the regular admission standards for English Proficiency. Students who accept conditional admission will be enrolled in the Texas State Intensive English (TSIE) program for a maximum of two academic terms. If they meet regular admission standards by the end of those terms, they will be fully admitted into the degree program of their choice (subject to any Limited Access program restrictions).

In addition, we offer Conditional Admission through a special arrangement with the Texas Intensive English Program (TIEP). Applications for the TIEP Conditional Admission Program are through TIEP.

Students who completed college course credits before graduating high school are still Freshmen applicants. Transfer applications are for students who have graduated from high school and then enrolled in a college or university.

No.

If not paid at the time of submission, you can mail a check payable to "Texas State University" to:

Texas State University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admissions Center
429 N. Guadalupe St.
San Marcos, TX 78666

You may also pay online through the link provided in the Application Status Check.

The most common reason is that you are entering the verification information the same as you entered it on your application. They must match exactly. You may need to go back to your application to see what you entered.

If that does not work, please contact the Information Technology Assistance Center (ITAC) at 512.245.4822, itac@txstate.edu or livechat.tr.txstate.edu. They are available 24 hours every day. If they tell you the problem is a specific item of information, contact processing@txstate.edu with what that is.

Texas State University requires that all school transcript records be sent directly from your school via mail/package service or online from a secure website (E Script, Parchment, etc.). You may mail or deliver a transcript in person if it is in an envelope signed and sealed by a school official. We will need transcripts from every school you've attended.

Mailing Address:

Texas State University
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Richard A. Castro Undergraduate Admissions Center
429 N. Guadalupe
San Marcos, TX 78666

You may submit transcripts via any means for an admission decision, but you will still need to provide an official final document to continue enrollment.

Yes. However, they will be considered unofficial. We will accept them to make an admission decision, but you will still need to provide an official final document to continue enrollment. Email transcript(s) to processing@txstate.edu.

Ask your school to provide the translation when they send the original. If they can't do that, and you are still in your home country, ask the school who they recommend to do it or take it to the nearest U.S. Consulate or Embassy. If already in the U.S., you may ask for help from your Embassy or Consulate, or find a local service that will certify its work. If not done by the school itself, the translation should include a statement that it was done for a document originally sealed by the school.

We prefer to do our own evaluations, and charge only $15 to evaluate a translated transcript, which is much less than any third-party evaluator. However, we will accept an evaluation completed by a recognized evaluation service, and it will be considered official as long as the evaluation company is a member of either the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE).

PLEASE NOTE: Due to known problems with fraudulent documents, students from certain countries may be required to have their transcripts verified for authenticity by a third-party evaluation company. Students from these countries will be notified individually of this requirement, along with further instructions.

No. Graduation exam scores are considered diplomas for completion and not transcripts by themselves. We require full records with grades awarded each year for each course taken. If you high (secondary) school is three years, you should have three years' worth of grades. If your school does not keep this kind of record, we will need a signed statement from a school official (not just a teacher) stating this.

Shortly after applying you will receive instructions about checking the status of your application online. You will also receive weekly e-mails letting you know what requirements are missing or incomplete. Please allow three weeks for documents you mailed to show as complete.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions makes admission decisions based upon a review of your academic record, which includes an assessment of your grade point average (GPA), class content, and test scores. Once admitted, you will need to provide additional information to the International Office, who will provide you with the I-20 you need in order to get a visa or transfer your SEVIS record. (This two-step process allows students who have difficulty meeting the financial requirements for an I-20 on their own to use their admission to get loans or scholarships.) Learn more about the immigration process.

For international students seeking study in the U.S. for one year or less, as part of a Study Abroad requirement or for personal enrichment, applications are made through the Study Abroad Office.

You should complete the U.S. application and disregard that it says it is ONLY for U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents. In some cases, ApplyTexas may require you to use the International Application. If that happens, submit it instead. We will figure it out and correct it.

A Social Security number is not required on the application. Just leave the field blank and complete the rest of the application.

Don't worry if you do not have a Social Security Number – it is not required.

Biographical Info Section, Question 6.c. – Answer "No," unless you have specifically submitted an I-485 application for permanent residency (DACA is an I-765).

Biographical Info Section, Question 6.f. – Leave blank, or answer "None of the above." If ApplyTexas later says you must use the International Application, try switching to the other answer.

Residency Info Section, Question "Of what state or country are you a resident?" Answer where you are currently living, not your country of citizenship.

If you are classified as an in-state resident for tuition purposes, you may receive state financial aid by submitting a Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA).

If you have questions about your residency status for tuition purposes, contact residency@txstate.edu.

All new students admitted to Texas State are required to attend an orientation session. Students who do not attend and complete a session will not be allowed to register for classes.

Texas State University is committed to your success and believes that NSO establishes the foundation for this. Studies have shown that students attending orientation programs have higher GPAs and retention rates than those who do not.

Academic Advisors are available to new students only during scheduled orientation times.

Yes, you are expected to attend all sessions at orientation in order to register for classes and complete your Texas State New Student Orientation requirement.

Yes. Students are expected to attend all parts of their NSO program, which includes spending the night in the residence hall. The overnight experience isn't just about providing a place to sleep, but an opportunity to meet fellow Bobcats and learn about a number of important campus resources.

If you have been admitted to Texas State, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the NSO registration portal, including your unique login credentials. If you are unable to register online, please call the admissions office at 512.245.3655 (or email admissions@txstate.edu). Registration typically opens  in mid-October for Spring semesters and in mid-February for Summer and Fall semesters.

No. Space is limited for each session. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate students who are walk-ins or are not confirmed for a session. Reservations are on a first-come, first reserved basis.

If you have just completed high school, or have completed 0-11 transferable college hours since graduation, you will need to attend an on campus orientation program. If you have completed 12 or more transferable hours AFTER high school graduation, or are a visiting or returning student, you have the option of completing your orientation online.

No. Space is limited for each session. You may change sessions without penalty provided space is available. Once you have paid for a session and need to change it, log back into the NSO system and switch to an open date.

Canceling your NSO reservation means you are no longer interested in attending Texas State University. In order to cancel your NSO reservation, you will need to withdraw your application for admission. To withdraw your application, please request an application withdrawal.

Orientation confirmations are sent on a rolling basis. You should expect to receive a confirmation within 1-2 weeks prior to your NSO session. Please note students who sign up for online orientation will not receive any physical confirmation material.

If you have not received confirmation 2-3 weeks before your NSO session, contact the NSO office at 512.245.3655. Office hours are weekdays 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (CST).

Students can register family members and guests when they are registering to attend NSO. If a family member or guest needs to be added later, the student can log in to their account and add any additional family members or guests.

The cost to attend a two-day NSO program is $50 per family member or guest. The cost to attend a one-day NSO program is $30 per family member or guest. These fees support the family sessions that complement the student’s NSO experience.

No. The Texas Tomorrow Fund only pays for fees that are course related. You will be billed directly for any fees that are not covered by the Texas Tomorrow Fund, including the orientation fee.

The NSO fee is divided into two parts. Part one is paid up front and confirms your spot in the NSO session. The second part is added to your tuition and fees. Students who submit an approved fee waiver through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions qualify to have the initial NSO fee waived. However, the second portion will be charged to the student account.

All prepayment waiver and deferral questions are handled by the Department of Housing and Residential Life (DHRL). Please contact DHRL directly at reslife@txstate.edu or 512.245.4663.

The NSO fee is non-refundable.

In your confirmation materials, you will find information about where and when to check-in. Details about the check-in process are provided in both your email confirmation and materials you will receive prior to orientation.

Contact the Orientation Office at 512.245.3655.

If you have a disability and require an accommodation (i.e. sign language services, information in alternative format), contact the Office of Disability Services at 512.245.3451 (voice/TTY) at least one week prior to your session. The University does not provide wheelchairs for ambulatory disabilities.

You should bring a pen and paper for notes. Comfortable walking shoes are a good idea. Often, the meeting rooms are chilly, so you may want to bring a light jacket. If you are attending an overnight session, you will also need bedding items, towels, and toiletries. For detailed list of what to bring, please refer to our Expectations & Schedules webpage.

Students will receive a parking map and temporary permit for your session. Please be sure to display your permit on your dashboard or you may receive a ticket. Your parking permit is only good for parking in the perimeter surface lots, Matthew Street Garage, and Speck Garage. Parking is available in the LBJ Student Center garage for a fee.

Family/guest sessions are offered during most orientation programs. These sessions are encouraged but not required. Costs for these sessions vary depending on the type of program.

For a list of important dates, please visit the Academic Calendar web page.

Contact Financial Aid & Scholarships at 512.245.2315 or send related questions to financialaid@txstate.edu. Information is also available online.

Please call the TSIP office and one of the representatives will answer your questions. You may contact the TSIP office by email, TSIP@txstate.edu, or by phone, 512.245.3942.

Yes. You can check your holds by logging into your Self Serve Banner. You will need your NetID and password to login.

A guide to dining and lodging in San Marcos may be found on the San Marcos Convention and Visitor Bureau website.

State law requires that all students under 22 years of age entering any institution of higher education in Texas provide proof of immunization for bacterial meningitis. You will not be able to register for classes until this requirement is met. Step-by-step instructions on how to upload your documents, information about exemptions, and where to get the meningitis vaccination can be found on our Meningitis Vaccination Requirement web page. To avoid delays with course registration at your advising appointment, have this step completed one week before your advising session.

Yes! When visiting campus, your group is welcome to eat at one of our five Dining Halls across campus. To purchase meal tickets for your group, please contact Dining Services.

As a safety precaution, we ask that all groups be accommodated by at least 2 adults. We strongly recommend 1 adult for every 10 students.

If anyone in your group has special needs, please contact the Welcome Center at least two weeks prior to your arrival to discuss how we can best meet those needs.

The Campus Tour will last about one hour and fifteen minutes. This will be a walking tour, so please have your students dress appropriately for the weather and wear comfortable walking shoes. As you may know, the campus is hilly. Plan to walk approximately one mile and climb several flights of stairs.

The Information Session usually lasts fifteen to thirty minutes, and includes information on Admissions, Financial Aid and Housing.

Due to high demand for on-campus housing, Texas State does not presently have a Residence Hall showroom available for large group viewing. We apologize for the inconvenience.

If a light rain is falling, the tour will continue as planned. However, if it is raining heavily, the Welcome Center staff may postpone the tour until the weather clears or move the tour to the library. Other weather conditions may also prompt the staff to decide to change or adjust the tour. Our priority is the safety of the group. No tours leave the LBJ Student Center if there is lightning or hail.